WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain Review

Outside of hardcore RPG fans, wrestling fanatics are probably the biggest
sticklers when it comes to what they expect out of a videogame. The most current
rosters, perfectly replicated entrances, and characters that are perfect right
down to their tattoos are just a few of the litany of things any "Edgehead"
or "Testicle" will look for before they even buy the game. The last few
incarnations of the Smackdown! series have all sold well but haven't
been as warmly received by critics and hardcore fans as THQ would have hoped,
and instead of just shoveling out another update they've really worked to
improve the game. The result of all this hard work is Smackdown!Here
Come The Pain, a game that has injected new life into the seriesand
one that really pushes the level of realism in wrestling games to a new level.

THQ has added new match modes including the Elimination Chamber, and for all
you T&A fans out there, a Bra and Panties match. There are 65 different
wrestlers in the game, which is the most of the THQ wrestling titles. Several
legends can be unlocked as you progress through the game, including: Old-school
Undertaker, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Snooka, The Road Warriors and more. The
Hulkster isn't available, but that's not really a shock as he left the WWE
on his usual unamicable terms, and WWE doesn't want to keep his name popular
if he's going to wrestle for another promotion.

While most wrestling games can be daunting for newcomers, Smackdown!
features a control scheme that is accessible to all skill levels. The buttons
are responsive and it's very easy to select what kind of move you want to
perform by simply selecting a direction while pressing the circle button. Even
things like picking up a ladder, placing it, climbing it, and then jumping for
the belt are all easy to learn and sensibly mapped to the controller. The
matches are fast paced, and while they do usually last a long time, it's not
unbearable, and the action never gets stale. Each superstar has their signature
list of moves, including all of their finishers, which can be earned by
pummeling your opponent and filling your meter. One cool touch is if you get two
finishers stored up, you can steal your opponent's finishing move and use it
on them. It's incredibly satisfying to Rock Bottom The Rock and then stand
over him doing John Cena's "You can't see me" by pressing the right
analog stick.

The new special matches are lots of fun, and aren't just simple add-ons.
The Elimination Chamber is a blast to play, especially if you've got friends
playing via the multi-tap - it really feels like the matches you've seen on
Pay Per View events. The Bra and Panties match is one of the few places in the
game where the ladies really shine. When you want to remove an article of
clothing, you simply press circle and down and then tap any button, just like
you would for a submission. If you get the meter all the way down then a piece
of clothing comes off, and the crowd goes wild.

The meat of the gameplay is found in the season mode, where there are over
200 different events awaiting your superstar, depending on what courses of
action you take along the way. The scenarios were scripted based on actually
storylines of the past so any longtime fan of the WWE will recognize them; and
it's the better storylines, so don't worry about any Triple H shenanigans
with a blow up doll here. Many of the minor scenarios are a bit goofy, and often
you'll have no idea what choice to make, but it's certainly better than what
any other game has to offer.

As you start a season, you can pick any superstar, add or remove them from
the roster, set up who is on what show, and even decide who will be a face or a
heel. Once the season starts you will work your way up the company ladder with
the end goal being a championship bout at Wrestlemania. Along the way you'll
be able to confront people and brawl backstage to try and get over with the
fans, and even go to the GM's office and demand a transfer to the other show.
If you are successful in your matches and put on a good show for the fans you
not only will be able to boost your character's attributes, but you will earn
money to buy outfits or new characters.

Here Comes The Pain features an amazingly
deep Create-A-Wrestler mode, which is right up there with what EA did in the
latest Tiger Woods game. You can alter
almost any aspect of a person's appearance, and you can even morph several of
your character's facial features. The one area in which it's lacking,
especially compared to Raw2 is in the
character entrances, but it's a small gripe.

Smackdown! is a phenomenal looking game that really pushes the
graphical capabilities of the Playstation 2 to the limit. You may remember that
a few years back the wrestler's hair looked pretty horrible, well that all has
changed. The accuracy in which even the wrestler's haircuts have been
recreated is stunning. Rob Van Dam's clipper marks on the side of his head are
a prime example of this - it is truly amazing looking. Even A Train's hair
has been recreated perfectly. What's that you say? A Train is bald? Ah yes,
but you forgot his hairy back. You heard it right; each one of A-Train's
freakishly long back hair follicles is there in all of its horrible glory.

As you would expect, each
wrestler's entrance is spot on, right down to the lolli-pop that Torri Wilson
carries with her into the ring and the exaggerated bend that Stacy Kiebler uses
to climb through the ropes. Each of the male superstars looks exactly like their
real-life counterpart, but some of the female wrestlers don't look quite as
good. Jazz still looks hideous, but it's a different kind of hideousness than
what you will see on WWE TV. There are minor gripes that can be made about the
graphics here and there, but on a whole, they are fantastic looking.

Probably the best thing about HCTP's audio is that there are no
announcers this time around. Certainly good announcing can be done in a
wrestling game, but after what we heard from Tazz and Michael Cole in the past,
the game is better off with no sound at all. All of the game's dialog is done
with on-screen text, which is kind of disappointing. There's so much attention
to detail paid to the rest of the game that a complete lack of voices is a let
down. Certainly adding that much dialog would take a tremendous amount of time,
something which THQ instead wisely spent focusing on the gameplay. With the
exception of a few of the licensed songs like RVD and Stacy Kiebler's themes,
all of the wrestler's music is here, and the crowd will even chant "You
Suck!" along with Kurt Angle's music. It's the little stuff like that,
which makes the game so stellar.

Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain is a fantastic wrestling game, and it
is vastly improved over its predecessor. The new match modes are great
additions, and from a visual standpoint, the game is without peer in the
wrestling genre. There are so many improvements that it's safe to say fans of
the series, as well as people that have lost interest the last few years will
all be happy with what Here Comes The Pain has to offer. Hats off to THQ
for a truly outstanding effort.